Intrarow deplanting mechanism



Nov. 26, 1940. 1. v. HAAsll-:TAL l 2,223,035

INTRAROW DEPLANTING MECHANISM l File March 18, 1939 2 Sheds-Sheet l Nov. 26, 1940. J. v. HAAs ET AL 2,223,035

INTRAROW DEPLANTING-MECHANIS-M l Filed March 18, 19559 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 26, 1940 UNITED -'STATES i I 2,223,035 Y INTRAROW DEPLANTING MECHANISM yJohn V. Haas and Ernest M. Haas, Perrysburg,

hio

. Application March 1s, 1939, serial No. 262,586

5 Claims.

This invention relates to establishing, in plant rows whereingrowing plants are in proximity, an effective thinning or sparsing thereof for contributing to advantage as vthere is growth and the crop approaches maturity and thereby adequately allowing for growth, asin the instance ofl beet blocking, cotton, etc.

This invention has utility when incorporated in power apparatus forhandling more than one row, in fending the retained growing plant and cutting out the plant excess, and which may be effective even in self-propelled equipment.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the invention generally in a self-propelled vehicle;

Fig. 2 is a detail view on an enlarged scale of the controllable sparser device, the fragmentary view shown by dotted line position disclosing the extent of take out to which the device may be lifted;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line III-III, Fig. 2, showing details of the fender mounting in the sparser;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line IV--IV, Fig. 3, showing a cross-section of the sparser after disk;

Fig. 5 is a sectionon the line V-V, Fig. 1, showing the control handle connection to ,the sparser elevator and lowerer;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line VI--VL Fig. 1, showing the control lever for the elevator and lowerer device of the sparser; y

Fig. 7 is a plan View, with parts broken away, of an embodiment of thev invention in the preferred form of adaptation in self-propelled vehicle;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line VIII-VIII, Fig. 7, showing the control handle for adjusting the cutting disk pair or unit toward the ground or operating position; l

Fig. 9 is a View on the line IX-`-IX, Fig. 7, showing features of the transmission connections;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary front View of the device of Fig. '1 showing the steering or caster wheel in front; Y 4

Fig. 11 is a view on the line XI--XI, Fig. 7, looking into the forward disk of the cutter pair; and

Fig. 12 is an enlarged section on the line X11-XII, Fig. 11. y

Prime mover or gas engine I is shown mounted above rear axle 2 lhaving ground wheels 3 mounting chassis 4 having front caster wheel 5 on shaft 6, shifted by rotatingv steering wheel 1 and thereby controlling 'the direction 'of travel of this vehicle unit. From this prime mover I transmission speed reduction 8 has reduced speed travel for actuating the ground Wheels 3 through gearing 3 of this motor vehicle. vFrom this transmission 8 extends, forwardly of the chassis 5 4, rod 9 to control lever I0 in position adjacent station II so that the operator for the steering wheel 1 may also control the cutting in and cutting out as well as rate of speed for the propulsion of this vehicle. Additionally, there is pro- 10 vided supplemental different speed reduction or transmission I2 from which extends forwardly control -rod I3 to control lever I4 also in position tobe manipulated by the vehicle operator at the station II. gearing I2', shaft 38 and gearing 31, 36, rotates actuating shaft I5paralle1 to the direction of travel of the vehicle and forwardly. This shaft I5 has universal joint I6 for driving section I1 as held by bearing I8 from which extends arm I9 20' controlling this shaft I1 as against varyingtoward or away from the side of the chassis 4. This arm I9 is connected to hand lever 20 having fulcrumvZI so that as grip 22 is shifted by an operator at station 23, the arm I9 may be raised 25 or lowered and thereby rock the shaft section I1 shifted ina vertical plane.

The free end of this shaft section I1 has thereon nut 24 (Fig. 2) mounting after hub 25 carrying disk 26 with diagonally dished teeth 21 as 30 rotary cutters. Opposing this hub 25-is a forward hub 28 having complementary or opposing rotary disk 29 having oppositely dished cutting teeth '30. The teeth 311 accordingly extend in toward'the teeth 21. The dishing of the cutter 35 disk 29, 30, is convex toward the direction of travel of thevehcle 4 while the dishing of the cutter-disk 26, 21, is concave toward the direction of vehicle travel.

There may be supplemental care in therhan- 40 dling or operation hereunder by providing screws or ,pins 3| (Fig. 4), about which may be wrap 32 of spring coil wire having anchoring end 33 in opening 34 in the hub-125. From vthis wrap 32 the oppositevend of this wire may proceed as 45 fending arm 35 of greater radial extent than'the teeth r21, 30, of the cutting disks. Accordingly, as the apparatus is operated and there is a tendency to lowerv toward a row of growth in one of the parallel rows'of a field, the fending arms 35 50 tend to strike the growth in advance of the cutter and as the vehicle progresses will fend, clear of the cutting disk, .thevegetation which may escape the cutter on'the after side as well as clearr from the'cutter on the'fo'rwardv side in the event 55 This transmission I2 throughk 15 v .region of the disks concave toward each other that such may be eiiicient in 'a cutting out or uprooting of the section of growth transversely of a row. -This leaves plants standing in the row at the raised position for the pair of disks and thereby clearing the plants as between the disks.

The control handle as elevating and lowering the section |1 and thereby the rotary cutters, may be with a speed against having suchprogress along the row, that is, with the travel of the Vehicle at a relatively slow rate,.s.ay.of one or tWo miles per hour. The cutter disk may have` a ro. tation of as much as 100 R. P. M. This Would mean that the quick action of the cutting disk or sparser may be effective to eliminateone or more plants from the row and still avoid damage to a section intermediate to be leftas a hill in the row., This device in its set-up is, due to the plural stations 23. one which may befully keffective bytwo operators for two rows in say beet blocking and efficiently controlled therefor at an low cost of power which, while it may be set up as an accessory to a tractor or the disk be controlledA by a device froma tractor, is herein a complete self-propelling unit.

The shaft I5 has thereon toothed device 36 in mesh with toothed device 3.1 on cross-shaft 38 for,v transmission connection through gearing 39 on shaft 40 parallel to the shaft |5. Joint 4| connects shaft section42 with this shaft 4|] and section 42 extends forwardly yto the pair of dished rotary disks at the free end thereof similar` to the 'forward free end of the shaft section |1.

` I-Iandlever grip 43 effects `the dipping' control into and out of operative position. The direction of rotation of these cutterv disks is such that sharpened arc-shaped outward edge 44 is in ad- Vance and more abrupt radial edge 45 is a follower portion. The'se fending wires or yieldable means. 35, besides their property for easing off or lshifting vegetation, cooperate to move any clogging material from thecutter disks as such rise clear of thework position at the row.

Chassis 49 (Fig.`7) may conveniently in practice `be'adapted for motor vehicle operationsl to Y carry differential 4 1 and rear axle sectionf48 to ground wheel 49cm one side. Inasmuchas the treadl desired, say for two rows afield, is less than normal motor vehicle practice, instead of adopt' ing second rear. axle housing section similar to the section 48, a minor section 50-is adapted in the extent from the differential 41 to companion ground wheel 5|. This differential, instead of having propeller shaft therefor extend forward, hassuch oriented with shaft 52 (Figs. 7, 9) extending rearwardly, and there carrying,pulley sprocket wheel v53V from which extends belt or sprocket chaink 54 to smaller pulley 55 on shaft 56 from ordinarytransmission 51. Y Y

Prime mover or gas engine 58 may be effective through wheel-59 and chain 69 to drive pulley 6 |Y on shaft 62 for the transmission 51. It isthus seen that the drive from the transmission 51 to vthe propeller shaft 52 is for a reduced rate of travel and is thusadapted to standard transmissions in motor vehicle practice, with tf1-e pur-` pose that this propulsion grate may` be .say in the'range of one, two or three miles perlhour ateld. Y 1

Parallelxto. this sprocket wheel 6| iswheel. 63,y from which extends .sprocket beltv 64to5 larger pulley wheel 65'0n shaft' 66 extending forwardly in the chassis 46. There is thus from the driving transmission 51 a take-off, not through the transmission, but at a higher'speed of `rotation than the shaft from the gas engine for rotating this shaft 66, carriedin bearings 61 from the chassis 46 and effective through universal joint 68 to rotate disks 69, 16, as dished toward each other and at the free end of shaft section 1|. shaft section 1| has llPStanding therefrom link 12.` to arm 13'from rock Ishaft 14 having depending' arm 15 adjustably connected to. link 16 extending forwardly to control lever 11 having handle or grip 18 adjacent station 19 j for the driver vof the chassis.

Handle may set the speed for the transmission afield; lSteering wheel 8| adjacent the seat 19 may be effective through beveled pinion 82 andgeani for shifting stem 84 and therewith fork 65 carrying front wheel 66. This directing or turning operationmay be primarily at the end of the rows or in shifting the vehicle from places out of working'aeld. However, in the field as going down vthe-row, the forks 85 may have foot pieces 81 which may Avbeengaged by the operator in the seat 19 andthus permit the operator to direct the vehicle properly inthe rows across the eld, with hands vfree for operating the grip 18 in` locating the cutting disks.

normally holds this disk |159,k 16, clear of the ground and the operator effects the depressiony by pulling the handle 18 toward yhis position in the station 19,` or pushing vof thehandle 18 forward from the. station 95.

Parallel to these shafts 66, 1|, and adjacent the opposite side of the chassis 46 is wheel 69 adjacent the wheel 63 with belt or chain 96 therefromto lower wheel 9|'on shaft section 92 in bearings 93 carried bythe chassis46. Universal. joint 68 from the shaft section 92 carries shaft section 94to dcutting disk pair 69, 16, adjacent station 95 with control handle 18 for similar shifting action in lowering such into working position against the resistance of spring 8B.V The respectivedisks arepro-vided with pitchproviding blades or vteeth 96' to 1such extent of dishing and axially of the mountings therefor that, in their high speed of rotationVeiTective throwing of cut dirt or vegetation occurs out of the 'position acted uponfsay as from the row to between the rows. As to growth 91 along row 98, importance arises that such not be mutilated by the cutting action v.of the disk. lllccordingly,l

flexible fenders or wires 35 are mounted on pins 3| and have vcentral coil 99 for desired'torsio'n as held for this portion 35 as to anchoring-portion 33. y'

It is to be noted that the teeth or arms 3.6 are dished for an-angle or twist..y This lis preferably to such an extent that .the cutting vedge at its root is in advance of the plane ofv the' disk, or outside of the pair of disks, more particularly as to the forward or initially vactive disk of .the pair. Such cutting edge as thus tapered and given the pitch iseiective to throw the selected matter clear of the row at the relatively high speed of rotation of the disk compared to the travel Irateo-f the vehicle. This `means that the to lift direct earth which may be hard or caked but definitely, sharply cuts thereinto. Furthermore, the twist insures that, at the rate of rotation, the cut dirt is thrown out of the line of growth in the row to the space between the pair of rows. The dirt is thus cut and definitely or positively thrown out of the spacing between the growths left in the row. The growth is not dragged out but is definite in leaving clear ground space between the growths left standing, with absence of piling or throwing up of dirt on such growths left in the row. The operation is one which may be selectively effective even at the propulsion speed of one or two miles per hour.

This is of speci-al value in the thin drilling, say of beets as sugar beets, which may be as few as a seed to a drill. Of course, it has been found at times some seeds produce more than one growth. In this type of row, say with the drill for seeds two inches apart, there may be sparsing effected by the disclosure herein entirely effective in this blocker device independently of supplemental hand work. In fact, test operations have shown that growth in a field where only this machine was effective did not detract from the tonnage compared with a hand work beet blocking. In fact, it has shown an increased tonnage of as much as 2 per cent. In the type of seeding which has not been single drill, the blocking as effected hereunder, which leaves the row clear as to the plants removed, means that there is not necessity for lifting dirt off of vegetation which it is desired to retain in the row. Accordingly, even in such rows where supplemental hand Work thinning may be in order, the hand work is reduced as much as to '75 per cent by the machine herein.

These foot pieces or treadles 81 are steering control devices which in practice as afield may be jiggled or wiggled in their position as to the vehicle and due to the transit of the vehicle this oscillation is transmitted to the tool and is adapted to vary the range of operation of the tool and its condition for sparsing action in the row and thereby control or vary the cutting action therefrom.

What is claimed and it is desired to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. SparsingV means for parallel growth rows afield embodying a vehicle, an actuating shaft carried thereby and extend-ing in the direction of vehicle travel, a pair of opposing inwardly dished cutter disks, flexible radiating wire means rotatable with the disks and movable relatively thereto in shifting material as to the disks, and control means for placing the disks into and out of row cutting position.

2. Sparsing means for growth in rows afield embodying an oppositely dished rotary cutter pair of disks, and radiating wire fending means extending beyond the disks and movable therebetween.

3. Sparsing means for parallel growth rows afield embodying a vehicle, an actuating shaft carried thereby, a drive shaft having transmission joint connection to the actuating shaft, a pair of opposing circular cutter disks each providing an annular series of radially extending blades, said disks being dished toward each other andY on said actuating shaft in providing one convex face toward the direction of travel, and disk shifting control means for placing the disks into and out of row cutting position for isolating as hills portions of the rows.

4. Sparsing means for growth in rows `afield embodying an oppositely dished rotary pair of circular cutter disks each providing an annular series of radially extending axially offset blade means.

5. Sparsing means for parallel growth rows afield embodying a vehicle, an actuating shaft carried thereby, a cutter disk on the shaft, fending means rotatable with, mounted directly on,

and extending to act beyond the disk, and control .l

means for placing the disk into and out of row cutting position.

JOHN V. I-IAAS. ERNEST M. HAAS. 

